Countertops and other flat horizontal surfaces are commonly covered with a variety of different materials. While wood is a very commonly used material and stone is also used in many instances, it has become common for horizontal surfaces to be covered with tile or laminates such as Formica.RTM.. Hard colorized resins generally referred to as solid surfacing have only very recently been in vogue. One such type of solid surfacing is sold under the trademark Corian.TM. and is characterized as having a very smooth and very hard surface which is completely non-porous that wears well. This surface is ideal for environments where liquids are often spilled onto the surface and easy clean up is desirable, such as kitchen and bathroom countertops and shower and bathtub areas within the home environment. The solid surfacing is also desirable because it can be joined directly to adjacent pieces of solid surfacing with a joint adhesive therebetween and then may be sanded down such that the joint is hardly perceptible.
While this solid surfacing has many desirable attributes, edge treatments have been a continuing problem. When finishing edges of solid surfacing, heretofore it has been necessary to extensively sand edges of the solid surfacing to provide smooth transitions between the horizontal surface and its vertical edge.
These problems are exacerbated when attempting to provide solid surfacing which follows curving contours along an edge of the solid surfacing. When this type of edge treatment is desired, it has been necessary to adhere edge pieces of solid surfacing against a cantilevered edge of the counter and then to sand down the edge pieces of solid surfacing until it attains a desired contour. This process is difficult, time consuming and it is nearly in, possible to obtain a finished edge which is free from minor dips and other imperfections resulting from the sanding process. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a convenient method for providing a decorative edge for solid surfacing.
Where "dripless" edges are desired (i.e. edges which are "berm-like" to prevent liquid from running off the counter) contouring edge molding around a curve has never been standardized and requires custom crafting.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is stipulated, however, that none of these references teach singly nor render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter and as particularly claimed.
______________________________________ INVENTOR PATENT NO. ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ Young 1,709,385 April 16,1929 Romine 2,610,661 September 16, 1952 Hewat 2,642,905 June 23, 1953 Rasmussen 5,002,107 March 26, 1991 Rasmussen 5,058,640 October 22, 1991 ______________________________________
The patents to Rasmussen teach the use of a method and apparatus for forming radius corners on bulk stock. The invention of this application is distinguishable from Rasmussen, inter alia, in that a groove is provided on the trim pieces for connection to the cantilevered margin of the solid surface and multiple trim pieces are created simultaneously in the method of this invention.
The patent to Hewat teaches the use of a work holding clamp for the application of veneer to an edge of a horizontal piece of material. This invention is distinguishable from Hewat, inter alia, in that a groove is provided on an inside surface of the edge treatment which is connectable to the cantilevered margin of the solid surfacing.
The remainder of the prior art listed above, but not specifically distinguished, diverge even more starkly from the present invention than those prior art references specifically referred to above.